


And I've Got a Date!

by crutchie_394



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Nightmares, These boys are so awkward, i would die for them, sorta fluff sorta angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 03:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15282576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crutchie_394/pseuds/crutchie_394
Summary: “I, uh, m’sorry,” Buttons whispered, picking at his vest. He was wearing it inside out and his shirt was wrinkled, the sleeves buttoned unevenly, like it had been put on in a hazardous rush. “For wakin’ you up.”“I have eight siblings,” Elmer said. “Nothing I’m not used to. What happened?”Buttons was turning red at the ears, and Elmer would be lying if he said it wasn’t cute.~Elmer and Buttons share a moment out on the fire escape, confessions are made, and these two dorks deserve the world.





	And I've Got a Date!

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve seen this ship getting tossed around the last few days and I saw a prompt I liked and I was like “ok well now I gotta write this” sooooooo enjoy some trash!

It wasn’t the first time Elmer had woken up to someone rapping on the window. His older brothers and sisters snuck out all the time, and being the light sleeper he was, it was never much of a surprise to see a cocky face grinning at him from the fire escape.

Climbing over his brother, Elmer carefully slid the window open and leaned out. Before he could whisper into the open air, someone suddenly grabbed him, pulling him out over the ledge, and he found himself engulfed in a tight hug.

“Buttons?” he squeaked. He managed to wriggle away to take a good look at his captor’s pale face, and once he did, he let his friend pull him back into his chest. Buttons was trembling and Elmer could feel his heart pounding, so he said nothing and just held him close.

Eventually, Buttons’ shaky breaths evened out. Elmer shuffled away, sitting back on his heels on the fire escape and finally shutting the window behind him. “Buttons, what happened? Are you okay?”

Even in the dark, Elmer could see Buttons’ face flushing red.

“I, uh, m’sorry,” Buttons whispered, picking at his vest. He was wearing it inside out and his shirt was wrinkled, the sleeves buttoned unevenly, like it had been put on in a hazardous rush. “For wakin’ you up.”

“I have eight siblings,” Elmer said. “Nothing I’m not used to. What happened?”

Buttons was turning red at the ears, and Elmer would be lying if he said it wasn’t cute.

“I-I had a nightmare and I needed to make sure you were okay.”

Elmer blinked. “A nightmare about me? Wh-”

“Yeah,” Buttons said, rubbing his eyes. Was he crying? “I know, it’s stupid. Only little kids should be gettin’ nightmares, and then havin’ one about you and comin’ to you whinin’ about it in the middle of the night… it’s dumb.”

“No!” Elmer said, backtracking. “Wait, no, Buttons, it’s not dumb.” He shook his head, crawling forward to wrap his arms around Buttons’ shoulders again. “C’mon, you know a ton of the guys get nightmares. Remeber that one time when it was rainin’ and Jack was sleepin’ inside and he fell off the top bunk from a bad dream?”

“I was sleepin’ under him,” Buttons said, leaning away. He was almost smiling, and Elmer counted that as an accomplishment. “’Course I remember.”

“And I really don’t mind you wakin’ me up,” Elmer said. “I wanna help. Can I, um, what was the dream about?”

Buttons’ face fell. He stared at his hands, and when he spoke up, his voice was trembling. “It was durin’ the strike… and I saw you gettin’ soaked by the bulls, but I couldn’t do anything to help ya. And they were gettin’ really rough and everyone else was leavin’ and I felt like I was stuck. And when they finally left they just left ya on the curb, and I saw ya… and you weren’t breathin’ or movin’ and I couldn’t… I didn’t…” Buttons was breathing heavily again, and even from a good foot away Elmer could see how much tension he was carrying. 

“Hey, Buttons, breathe,” Elmer said, grabbing his shoulders. “I’m fine. You’re fine. The strike is over and all the bulls managed to do was gimme a blow to the head.”

“I know,” Buttons sighed. “It’s just… what if you got carted off to the Refuge? I dunno what I’d do with myself.”

Elmer had, in all honestly, no idea what to say. He and Buttons had always been friends, but… “Why do you care so much?”

“Because I love you!” Buttons snapped, but as soon as the words were out there, hanging out in the open, he deflated, slumping in on himself and dropping his voice down to a mumbled, “As, ya know, more than a brother.”

Elmer felt like he was frozen. Like he couldn’t move even if he tried. But when he could, the first thing he did was let out a breathless laugh. “That’s what this is all about?”

“Yeah. I know, I’m disgusting and ya probably hate me and I’ll find another sellin’ partner tomorrow.”

“Wait!” Elmer awkwardly took Buttons’ hands, and he smiled when Buttons didn’t pull away. “Buttons, I like you too. You, uh, wow, I’m bad at this. Can I kiss you?”

Instead of answering, Buttons took Elmer’s face in his hands and crushed their lips together.

Elmer’s hand fell down to Buttons’ waist. He kissed back just as eagerly, closing his eyes against Buttons’ soft lips. It was sweet, but long and full love. It was only when the window creaked as it slid open again that they tore apart, both flustered but grinning like fools.

Elmer’s brother, Ed, had his elbows propped up on the windowsill, smirking. 

“Ready to come in yet, El? Or should I leave you two alone for a minute?”

Elmer stuck his tongue out, then turned back to Buttons. “Looks like I’m gettin’ rounded up for the night.” He pecked Buttons on the cheek, and as Buttons wrinkled his nose and squinted, Elmer decided it was the greatest thing he’d ever seen. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Grabbing his brother’s hand, Elmer hoisted himself through the window. He fell back on his side of the bed with a happy, content sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“Pinch me,” he said. Ed jabbed him in the side, and Elmer shoved his chest blindly without opening his eyes. “I didn’t mean for real.”

“Well, maybe I had to make sure this wasn’t just a dream too,” Ed said innocently, wrapping an arm around Elmer’s shoulders and ruffling his already hopeless bedhead. “My baby brother’s got a date!”

“Yeah,” Elmer said. His cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, but he was still buzzing with excitement and anticipation and everything else. “Guess I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is also on my Tumblr @well-the-kids-do-too because I need validation. Comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated! Thanks for reading, love ya guys!


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